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Exhibition to mark 50th anniversary of admission of women to ministry

Thomas Baldwin reports on plans for a special celebration of an important milestone.

AN appeal has been issued for contributions to this year’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of women being admitted to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Church of Scotland.

The project has been launched by New College and Edinburgh University Centre for Theology and Public Issues, supported by the Church of Scotland’s Ministries Council; and it will include an exhibition, conference, act of worship, events and publications. Project co-ordinator, Dr Lesley Orr, says:

“On Wednesday May 22 1968, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland passed a deliverance that women should become eligible for ordination to the ministry on the same terms and conditions as men.

“Since the late 19th century, women had increasingly participated in diverse expressions of service within the life and witness of the Church – as Deaconesses, Parish Sisters, home and foreign missionaries; thousands were involved in a wide range of initiatives as members of the Woman’s Guild.

“Their work and commitment to the life of the Church was indispensable, and by the early years of the 20th century, there were Scotswomen who were trained in theology and believed that God was calling them to serve as ministers of word and sacrament.

“They had the educational qualifications, the practical experience and the leadership capacity. But it took decades of struggle and debate until the Church at large was ready to enable equal access to ordained ministry.

About Life and Work

In this month's issue:
THE SAINTS OF SCOTLAND
- The saintly people who shaped Scotland
FAITH INTO ACTION
- The outgoing chair of CHAS –a Church of Scotland elder
A FRESH STATEMENT OF FAITH?
- A need to review the role of the Westminster Confession of Faith
and much much more...